Whilst Brits tend towards pubs and bars for their evening socialising, the locals in Liuzhou go to the 烧烤 BBQ to chat and drink late into the night. These restaurants are on roadsides throughout the city and, given the great weather in summer here, provide the best opportunity for some al fresco dining with Chinese characteristics.
By all means go to the BBQ for your main meal but many locals, after having dinner at home or elsewhere, descend on these restaurants for 宵夜, which roughly translates as a "midnight snack". Sitting outside on benches or yellow plastic chairs, you'll see dozens of tables packed with people eating 烤鱼 BBQ fish, 串 skewers of meat and veg, 炒米粉 fried rice noodles and other specialities.
As well as the regular BBQ stalls, there are also some speciality places, including our favourite Mongolian style restaurant which serves up the most amazing lamb legs and ribs. Sitting in 30 degree heat at 11pm, eating amazing food, drinking cold, cheap, watery lager and being serenaded by local singers of questionsble talent. It doesn't get much better.
As well as the food, you'll also notice the noise created, not just the general hubbub, but by diners engaged in the favourite local drinking game 猜码 "guess the number". This game is played not in Chinese, but the local dialect, so it can seem a bit of a mystery at first, but it basically involves two players holding out their hands and shouting (at the top of their voices, normally) how many fingers will be held out in total. Guess correctly and your opponent drinks. Or you both do; it's normally that kind of atmosphere and nobody really understands what they're doing anyway.
Apart from our weekly meetups, overeating at roadside BBQs is a staple part of socialising in the city and for Liuzhou Social. If you want to get involved, whether you're living in Liuzhou or just passing through, send us an email. These pictures are from one of our regular BBQ events that took place in March...
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